Gbiwdibtg-machiwe tor sickle-baks



ELBERTW; WELLS, or KALISPELL, MONTANA.

GRINDIN (1r-#MACHINE FOR SICKLE-BARS.

` Specification of Letters Patent.

i Patented J une 17, 15119.

Application led December 27, 1918. Serial No. 268,577.

to guard fingers and finger bars; and the object of the saine is toproduce improved means within the finger for sharpenlng the sickle orcutting blade constantly as it is reciprocated, and meanwhile guardingit as usual.

This object is carried out by the construction described and claimedbelow, and as shown in the drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of one linger with the sickle Sharpener therein.

Fig. 2 is a plan View.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the plate underlying the sickle, thelatter not being shown.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates broadly the fingerwhich projects as usual from the front side of a cutter bar, and throughwhich the sickles or knives reciprocate as the'harvester progressesalong the field. Instead of the usual guard at the top of this finger, Iemploy a strip as shown at 2, its forward end being connected at 3 by ascrew or otherwise with the top of the finger, from which its body risesslightly to the rear. Its rear end is turned down as at l, and attachedthereto by a screw 5 is a plate 6 notched to coact with a notch in therear end and produce a bearing. In this bea-ring is loosely mounted theT head 7 at the rear end of a small file 8, the same being semi-circularin cross section and with its round side down. Its front end has atongue indicated at 9 in Fig. 2 which plays in an upright groove at thefront of the opening in the linger 1. This groove 10 is slightlyinclined as'seen in Fig. 3, and its lower end connects with a channel 1lcut in the top of the flat face 12 of the finger 1 to such depth thatthe file may drop into the same.

The forward portion of said fiat face has a recess 13 shaped to receivea fixed blade 14 best seen in Fig. 1. This blade has the same thicknessas said recess so that its upper face is flush with the face 12 and thebody of the blade is provided with a slot l5 adapted to register withthe channel 11 so that the file may drop through the one into the other.The blade may also have an opening 16 through which passes a screw 17into the finger for holding the blade in place. Its undercut edges 18coact with the cutting edges of the sickles to produce the cutting ofthe grain in the usual manner. A spring 19 is secured at one end as at20 beneath the guard 2, and its other end bears the free end of the filenormally downward with yieldin force.

ien now the cutter bar is put in place, and reciprocated,geach sicklepasses rapidly to and fro across the upper face of the linger and underthe guard 2 and as it does so it is filed on its beveled upper edges bythe active lower face of the file. Thus this device keeps the cutter barconstantly sharp, although the tension of the spring may be very slight.In fact, it is quite possible in some cases to omit this spring entirelyand permit the forward portion of the le to simply rest upon the sickle,whose beveled edges raise and lower the file at each reciprocation.

The foregoing description and the drawings have reference to what may beconsidered the preferred, or approved form of my invention. It is tobeunderstood that I may make such changes in construction and arrangementand combination of parts, materials, dimensions, et cetera, as may provecX- pedient and fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is In a sickle bar structure, thecombination with a finger whose flat upper face is provided with arecess, the bottom of the recess having a forwardly inclined channel anda groove rising from the front end of the channel to the top of thefinger, a xed blade seca-red in said recess and having a slot overlyingthe channel, and a sickle bar strip bearing said body normally downwardl0 having blades whereof one reciprocates into Contact with the sickleblade.

across said lixed blade; of a guard strip se- In testimony whereof Iaiix my signature eurednpon sind linger and having a bearlng 1n presenceof two witnesses. at its rear end, a file having :L Tlheadino'unty YELBERT W WELLS Y ed in said bearing with its body lying normolly n theslot in `the lixed blade and a Witnesses-z Y tongue at its `front endmovable in said up- T. H. MACDONALD, right groove, :Ind a spring` on theguardi. NELLIE 'MACNAMARA- copies of this patent may be obtained forfive cents eaeh, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. C.

